Autumn Has Arrived at Rose Hill

It's autumn here at Rose Hill, which is a very busy time for Fordham students. We are in the midst of midterms right now, so the library is busy with people studying. However, everywhere you go on campus, you hear people talking about their Halloween costume ideas and even some plans for Thanksgiving! 

Fall Foliage here at Rose Hill

I always look forward to the different holiday events on campus, especially events that involve food! Many of the Residence Halls have gone apple picking, which I always enjoy. However, I particularly enjoy the fun food options available around the holidays. Our dining services always do a great job of incorporating the holidays into the menus. One of my favorite days to eat on campus is the Thursday before Thanksgiving because there is a big Thanksgiving meal in the main cafeteria (The Caf).

As a Resident Assistant in a freshman Residence Hall, we have a lot of upcoming programs to celebrate autumn and all of the associated holidays! Queen's Court has always had our traditional costume dance in the basement on the night of Halloween. It's dark and spooky, but so much fun! We also have pumpkin painting, Halloween movie nights, and even a program to make autumn air fresheners to keep those rooms smelling nice! 

Wherever you are reading this, I hope that it is as beautiful as it is here at Fordham when autumn arrives. The leaves are changing, and autumn is in the air!

The Best Places Outside of Your Room to Study

Last year my go-to study spot was my bed (not the best idea, I know). Sure, I had my desk to work at, and there was a study lounge downstairs, but nothing seemed as perfect as curling up in my bed on a Sunday afternoon with philosophy reading in my hands. This fall, however, vowing to start the school year off with strong habits, I decided to venture out from underneath my blankets and discover some study spots that lay beyond my residential hall.

I first headed to the most prominent study spot on campus, the Walsh Library. The Library, or Club Lib as it is colloquially referred to by some, is certainly not a secret study location, but, with the exception of the few times I went to there to make copies or check out books, I didn’t frequent its halls until two weeks ago. In the Library, there are two study options. The first is to find a study rooms, which are perfect for group projects but hard to secure by lone studiers like me. The second option, which I ultimately settled for, is to claim one of the many desks scattered throughout the wings. I picked a secluded wing on the second floor without many distractions, and I learned that the Library is perfect for those that need absolute silence to stay on track.

Unfortunately, I quickly found the walk to the Library quite the haul, so I began to haunt Hughes Hall, home of the Gabelli School of Business, which is much closer to my dorm. Just like the Library, Hughes has several rooms designed for group meetings that are very popular. There are also booths and tables throughout the first and second floors, and the occasional person, like one of my friends, even studies on a ledge by the windows in the back staircase. My spot, however, is a table on the second floor overlooking the main staircase. While space is never limited, one of the downsides to Hughes is with all the classes that are conducted there, it has more traffic than in the Library. Still, though, Hughes is the perfect spot for a student that needs a little background noise to get work done but isn’t easily distracted by passerbys.

Sometimes study locations get a little creative.

That brought me to my final campus study location: Eddie’s. It’s hard to resist Eddie’s calling my name on warm Sunday afternoons, so I caved in, packing my backpack and choosing a shady tree to study under. However, proceed with caution: on sunny days you may find yourself on Eddie’s with up to one thousand of your closest friends. Some of those people have the same idea as you and go to Eddie’s to catch up on reading while soaking in the vitamin D. Others, unfortunately, have a completely different agenda. While the upside to studying on Eddie’s is that it comes with arguably the best view on campus, it’s very easy to be tempted into not working; it takes extreme dedication to continue reading Aristotle when your friends are beside you tossing around a frisbee. I find Eddie’s perfect for Saturday studying, a day when I know I am not going to get anything accomplished anyway.

The obligatory Keating picture

Rose Hill has so many more study spots than these three, and students can be seen studying anywhere from O’Hare and Martyr’s Lawn to the student lounge in McGinley to the caf. Ultimately, it’s up to you for finding your own perfect spot. I’ll keep looking for that and, hopefully, will be able to get out of bed for good.

Rose Hill Ramily

When I start my tours, I begin with the classic tagline: "Hi my name is ____. I'm from ____. My major is ____." However, I have something unique to add to the end of that introduction: I'm the third of four family members to have attended Fordham.

My dad attended law school at Fordham Lincoln Center. Owing to this connection and his childhood in the Bronx, my brother, sister, and I grew up knowing of and visiting Fordham Rose Hill. Our grade school basketball teams frequented half-time shows during the team's season and the Keating image was a well-known one in our household.

The day of my brother's graduation.

When my brother first decided to attend, I thought "No way will I do that. Who wants to go to school with their sibling?" I was looking for a new independent niche and didn't think I could figure that out at a school my brother attended. Clearly, I caved to this ridiculous presumption. Two years later, following suit, my sister faced the same challenge and ultimately chose Rose Hill as well.

To most of you that probably sounds like a lot of family, and trust me it has been! But it has been one of the greatest blessings in my experience at Fordham. From day one, we've know the in's and out's of departments like Gabelli and the Law School as well as the awesome reunions Homecoming and Jubilee bring. We can give you directions to the Ram Van or to Arthur Ave with a specific recommendation for exactly the kind of Italian cuisine you're looking for.

My sister and I on her first day of orientation.

More than anything else though, my favorite part of having family at Fordham is how it has grown. What began as my parents, my brother, my sister, and I now includes our roommates and friends. Some of my friends are my sister's and likewise for me. When I was a freshman, it was my brother's crew who showed me the ropes and kept an eye out for me. Over the years, our family has expanded so that my college community does not just stay in the Bronx: it comes back home with me too. Wherever I am, I'm followed by the spirit of Fordham University and the love of relationships I've made and fostered there.

Even though my experience has certainly been unique, it's one of the many examples of how Fordham fosters family. Families aren't always the one you're born into, but they're the ones you carry with you throughout and following college. As a senior, it's one of the many things that I will miss the most. I am so incredibly lucky to have both built and maintained my family here. I recommend it to anyone who's looking to do the same. 

Rams See the Stars! My trip to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park

Since Fordham's Lincoln Center campus is in Manhattan, and its Rose Hill campus is 20 minutes away from Manhattan by train, Fordham students have total access to New York City for fun activities, school projects, service trips, jobs, and internships. When taking classes at both Fordham campuses, it is very common to get opportunities to visit museums and other places in the city for class assignments. Today, I spent the day in the Upper West Side of Manhattan at the Museum of Natural History, and Central Park! My roommate is taking an astronomy class at Fordham College at Rose Hill, and one of her assignments for the semester was to visit the planetarium at the Museum of Natural History. Since I love museums and going into the city, I decided to tag along!

Getting to the museum was very easy, thanks to the trusty Fordham Ram Van shuttle service. The Ram Van transports students from Fordham's Rose Hill campus to its Lincoln Center campus. Since I live on the Rose Hill campus, the Ram Van made it very easy to get to the Museum of Natural History on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The planetarium was very exciting. My roommate was very excited to take the knowledge she learned from her astronomy class, and use it to better understand the exhibits at the museum. Getting homework done is never a chore when the assignment involves taking a trip to Manhattan! 

A sculpture of the Moon at the planetarium

After we were done visiting the planetarium, my roommate and I walked back to Fordham's Lincoln Center campus to catch the Ram Van back to our dorm on Rose Hill. On our way there, we passed through Central Park. It was a beautiful day, and we really enjoyed sitting in the park and walking through Lincoln Center! The classes at Fordham really motivate and encourage students to explore the city, and to use their classroom knowledge in actual places throughout New York. As a current sophomore at Fordham University, I can truly say: Fordham is our school, and New York is our campus.

Central Park is always a beautiful spot for a walk!

This is my last blog of the school year! I really enjoyed my first year as a Fordham student blogger, and I cannot wait to get back in the saddle next year for more blog entries! Thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned for next semester! 

Looking Forward to Spring at Fordham

Winter in New York can be a wonderful time to enjoy the snow and the city.  However, this winter has been particularly brutal, so it has me looking forward to fun outdoor activities on and around the Rose Hill campus.  Fordham looks beautiful in every season, but spring looks especially great on this campus.   

One of the most popular things to do in the spring is to lounge around outside on Edward’s Parade (Eddie’s).  The snow and cold has me dreaming of when it’ll be warm enough to lie outside, read, play Frisbee, and chat with friends in between classes or on the weekend.  As the weather gets warmer, Eddie’s becomes increasingly more crowded with students. On sunny days, Eddie’s is the place to be!

Classic sitting on Eddie's in front of Keating Hall picture.

Right across the street from the Rose Hill campus is the New York Botanical Gardens.  This is free for Fordham students and is the perfect place to stroll or go for a run.  I love being so close to a quiet and beautiful space that allows me to relax and forget the stress and noise of the city.

Another park I enjoy spending time in is Van Cortland Park, which is only about a mile away from Fordham’s campus, so it is only an easy walk or short bus ride away.  This is a huge park (one of the biggest in New York City) with lots of trails, and scenery that’s perfect for a long run or spending the day outside enjoying the weather.

Van Cortlandt Park, a pretty place to be despite some snow!

While there is still plenty of fun to have at Fordham despite the snow and cold, I am definitely looking forward to spending time outdoors, sans jackets, mittens and boots and taking advantage of these beautiful places this spring during my last semester at Fordham!

Fordham, Pizza, and Family

There are plenty of exciting things to see and do outside of Fordham's Rose Hill campus, including the Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, and Manhattan. However, sometimes staying on Fordham's campus and enjoying its beautiful atmosphere can be just as enjoyable. This weekend, my mom and my two younger brothers came to visit me here at Fordham Rose Hill! Since it has been so cold here lately, we decided that going out for dinner would not be very comfortable. Luckily, Fordham has many authentic Italian, Chinese, and Mexican restaurants that deliver right to the residence halls on campus! After some deliberation, we finally decided to order pizza. 

One of my brothers was so excited about the pizza,
he took this picture and uploaded it to Snapchat!

We ordered two cheese pies from Pugsley's Pizza, a family owned Italian pizzeria located just outside Fordham's campus. When the pizza arrived, my younger brothers were astonished that the delivery came right to my residence hall! It was very convenient, and my family was happy that they did not have to go outside in the cold. We ate the pizza in my residence hall, and we had a great time laughing and catching up. I am so happy that my family loves to come to Fordham just as much as I do! 

Fordham has two amazing campuses that feel like home to its students. My family is very pleased that when I am not at home with them, I am just as happy at my home here at Rose Hill. Fordham has always been a very welcoming place for me, and I loved showing my family that here at Fordham, we are a "Ramily!"